From the Earth to the Moon (1958)

In 1868, American inventor Victor Barbicane develops a powerful military explosive that he also uses as fuel for a moon-bound rocket manned by himself and a motley crew.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Jules Verne (novels), Robert Blees (screenplay)

Stars:

Joseph Cotten, George Sanders, Debra Paget

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joseph Cotten	...	Victor Barbicane
George Sanders	...	Stuyvesant Nicholl
Debra Paget	...	Virginia Nicholl
Don Dubbins	...	Ben Sharpe
Patric Knowles	...	Josef Cartier
Carl Esmond	...	Jules Verne
Henry Daniell	...	Morgana
Melville Cooper	...	Bancroft
Ludwig Stössel	...	Aldo Von Metz (as Ludwig Stossel)

Storyline

Set just after the American civil war, businessman and inventor Victor Barbicane invents a new source of power called Power X. He plans to use it to power rockets, and to show its potential he plans to send a projectile to the moon. Joining him for the trip are his assistant Ben Sharpe, Barbicane's arch-rival Stuyvesant Nicholl, and Nicholl's daughter Virginia. Nicholl believes that Power X goes against the will of God and sabotages the projectile so that they cannot return to earth, setting up a suspenseful finale as they battle to repair the projectile.

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Plot Keywords:

1860s | post american civil war | spaceship | travel to the moon | foreign language adaptation | 

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Taglines:

The Amazing Story of the Boldest Adventure Dared by Man!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1964 (UK)

Also Known As:

Rumbo al infinito

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures,Waverly Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This went into production as RKO was preparing to shut down. It was believed to have had a much larger budget which was later cut. This greatly affected the quality of the special effects.

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Goofs

When Barbicane and Ben are calling Nicholl before boarding the spaceship, an insert shot of Nicholl supposedly looking at them from the ship's exterior entry is actually an insert of an interior shot seen later in the film (when Nicholl is watching the other two after the gyro malfunctions).

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Quotes

Morgana: You know, whenever I see you, I get the feeling that Barbicane is up to no good.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are on the pages of a book, with the leads' photos included above the name.

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Connections

Referenced in Trumbo (2007)

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Soundtracks

Electronic Tonalities
(uncredited)
from Forbidden Planet (1956)
composed by Bebe Barron and Louis Barron
heard during the scenes on board the rocket

User Reviews

Jules Verne wouldn't like it!

A scientist (Joseph Cotton) and a millionaire arms dealer (George Sanders) team up on the construction of a rocket to blast themselves to the Moon. This movie was based on a Jules Verne classic -- but it completely lacks the charm and the quality of `Journey to the Center of the Earth' and `20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'.

Even though the cast includes Morris Ankrum (the Grand Old Man of vintage sci-fi) to provide dignity, and Debra Paget to provide scenery (watch `Princess of the Nile' and go quietly insane), it wasn't enough to save this numbingly slow and unappealing film.

Some of the special effects are astoundingly bad, considering the fair production standards. In the scenes of the blast-off, the supporting bar which holds up the rocket model is clearly visible! Fans of `Forbidden Planet' will notice the heavy use of the `electronic tonalities' borrowed from that classic. Directed by Byron Haskins, who did both `War of the Worlds' and `The Conquest of Space'.